THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO RUNNING PROFITABLE FACEBOOK ADS
SECTION 1: GETTING STARTED
Getting started with Facebook advertising requires careful planning and execution. It’s crucial to follow best practices to ensure the success of your campaigns and avoid any account issues. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the essential steps to create profitable Facebook ads while maintaining compliance with platform policies.
Establishing a Strong Profile:
Before diving into Facebook advertising, it’s important to have a well-established personal profile. Your personal profile’s age, number of friends, and engagement with content are factors that contribute to the success of your advertising efforts. If you don’t already have a Facebook profile, create one and make it moderately active.
If you encounter issues with your personal profile or don’t have one, you can either use an account belonging to a friend or family member or consider purchasing an aged account. However, keep in mind that simply buying aged accounts is not enough, as Facebook can detect true identities through various digital forensic techniques. To overcome this, consider using an “anti-detect browser” to maintain anonymity.
Creating a Business Page:
To advertise on Facebook, you’ll need a business page. Use your personal profile to create a business page instead of creating it directly through the business manager. Ensure you provide all the necessary details, including a profile picture, cover photo, contact information, and a compelling bio.
Once your business page is set up, start building valuable content. Post regularly, sharing value-based content, images, and videos. Invite your friends to like your page in batches, as selecting all friends at once won’t send an invite to everyone.
Boosting Posts and Building Engagement:
In the initial weeks, post on your business page at least 3-4 times a week, focusing on delivering value to your audience. Boost your best post each day to increase engagement and warm up your page and ad account. Allocate a budget of $10-$20 per boost to gain traction on your page posts.
After consistent boosting, you’ll receive a prompt from Facebook to explore their Ads Manager. This prompt typically appears when you’re on your business page. Clicking on it will take you to the Ads Manager interface.
SECTION 2: AUDIENCE BUILDING
Building a strong audience is essential for any successful online business. Regardless of your industry or niche, having your own engaged audience is crucial. Follow these steps to create a targeted audience on Facebook.
Creating Engaging Videos:
Video content is highly effective in capturing audience attention and delivering value. Create multiple videos addressing your target audience’s pain points and offering solutions. Give away valuable knowledge and genuinely aim to help your audience. Run Engagement or Post Engagement campaigns to reach a large number of people quickly.
Dividing Your Video Viewers into Audiences:
Once you’ve run PPE campaigns and gained viewership, categorize your video viewers into three groups based on the duration of their engagement: those who watched 50%, 75%, and 95% of the video. These groups represent different levels of interest and engagement.
Creating Custom Audiences:
Using the Ads Manager, create custom audiences based on the different video viewer segments. Set the time range to 365 days and select the minimum duration watched (e.g., at least 50%). Create three separate audiences based on 50%, 75%, and 95% video views. The longer someone watches, the warmer the audience.
SECTION 3: RETARGETING
Retargeting your warm audiences is an effective way to move prospects further into your marketing funnel. Follow these steps to engage and convert your warm audience.
Creating Lead Magnets:
Before selling anything to your warm audience, focus on building trust and rapport. Offer free lead magnets, such as e-books, how-to guides, case study booklets, free training, templates, or webinars. Provide additional value and help your audience experience some form of transformation by applying your free knowledge.
Important Considerations:
Avoid making suspicious or false claims in your ads. Do not compare products using before and after images, and ensure you don’t exclude or discriminate against people based on race, gender, or religion. Familiarize yourself with Facebook’s Advertising Policies and comply with them to prevent account issues.
SECTION 4: CREATING PROFITABLE ADS
Crafting compelling ads is vital to the success of your Facebook campaigns. Follow these guidelines to create effective and compliant advertisements.
Video Ads for E-commerce:
For e-commerce brands, short 14-second videos demonstrating product features work well. Include subtitles, use square (1200×1200) videos, and ensure your product, brand, and logo are clearly visible. Maintain high-definition video quality with clear and smooth audio.
Image Ads for Services:
If you’re selling consulting or coaching services, image ads are recommended. Use high-quality images that align with your brand and message effectively. Ensure your ads comply with Facebook’s policies and guidelines.
SECTION 5: PIXEL SETUP AND CONVERSIONS API
Setting up your Facebook pixel and configuring the Conversions API correctly is essential for accurate reporting and optimization. Follow these steps to ensure proper setup.
Verify Your Domain:
Start by verifying your domain, as explained in Section 1. This step is crucial to proceed further.
Set Up the Pixel:
Create a new pixel from the Events Manager. Enable the Conversions API and select the conversion events you want to track. Choose the data you want to send back to Facebook, including event time, event name, client IP address, client user agent, ClickID (fbc) cookie, browser ID (fbp) cookie, email, first name, and last name.
Generate an Access Token:
After configuring the Conversions API, generate an access token. Use this token along with your Pixel ID to integrate the pixel and API into your website or domain using your chosen web page builder.
Test Pixel and Conversions API:
Perform thorough testing of both the browser-level pixel and server-level API to ensure they are functioning properly. Use temporary test codes provided by your web page builder and remove them after a successful test.
SECTION 6: SCALING YOUR ADS
Once your campaigns start generating initial buyer data, you can scale them for increased success. Follow these steps to effectively scale your Facebook ads.
Scaling Strategies:
Scaling Facebook ads can be achieved through a three-step process involving cost cap and bid cap strategies. Implement these strategies to maximize your campaign’s reach and profitability.
SECTION 7: LAST WORDS
In conclusion, this guide provides you with a comprehensive blueprint for running profitable Facebook ads in the current digital landscape. By following the steps outlined in this guide and complying with Facebook’s policies, you can navigate the platform successfully and build a thriving online business. Remember to stay informed about any policy updates and adapt your strategies accordingly. Best of luck with your Facebook advertising journey!